BrainMap

Mr. Csaba Horvath

PhD

Ph.D. Lecturer - UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI

Researcher | Teaching staff | Scientific reviewer

Horváth Csaba is a lecturer at the Babeș-Bolyai University Faculty of Geography. Before being a lecturer, he worked as an IT consultant and as a Researcher at the Romanian Academy Cluj-Napoca Geography Section. He collaborated in numerous projects in various domains of research, starting from rural settlements vulnerability to natural hazards to extreme weather events related to air temperature and precipitation at national level. His expertise regarding the hydro climatic risk phenomena was developed stating from his Master degrees in “Extreme geographical phenomena and associated risks”, followed up in his PhD and later as a lecturer at the university. In 2016 he writes a book in collaboration regarding the “Digital mapping of floodplains based on statistics, hydraulic calculations and GIS spatial analysis”. Currently his interests are directed to WEB development and the natural phenomena GIS assessment.

Web of Science ResearcherID: F-1880-2011

Expertise & keywords

EXplOring Climatic oppoRtunities and evaluating the favouRability of Romania's teRritory for Optimized and Performant agriculture Call name: PNCDI IV, SP 5.7.1 - Proiect de transfer la operatorul economic
PN-IV-P7-7.1-PTE-2024-0006 2025 - 2026

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INDECO SOFT SRL

Project partners: INDECO SOFT SRL (RO); UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI (RO); STATIUNEA DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU CULTURA PLANTELOR PE NISIPURI (RO); UNIVERSITATEA DE STIINTE AGRICOLE SI MEDICINA VETERINARA CLUJ-NAPOCA (RO); CREATIVE SPACE SRL (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website:

Abstract:

ExoCrop is an innovative multidisciplinary project focused on the development of an integrated agro-climate service for farmers to facilitate informed decision-making to increase productivity. Starting from the zoning of the degree of suitability for three niche crops at the level of the entire country – Ipomoea batatas L. (sweet potato), Arachis hypogea L. (peanuts); Vigna unguiculata L. Walp (cowpea)– and integrating the seven-month weather forecast developed by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and various rotation schemes, the development of the proposed service combines knowledge of agronomy, climatology, remote sensing, artificial intelligence and information technology and GIS to increase the competitiveness and resilience of agriculture sector to climate change. ExoCrop's innovative methodology includes determining suitability for targeted crops using classical and artificial intelligence algorithms, coupled with a robust model for managing weather-climate risks and has the advantage of replicability on a European scale but also for other crops. The project is aligned with the objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy and with the research objectives of the European Union (Adaptation to Climate Change and Soil Conservation). The active involvement of farmers in the validation of the proposed models and the dissemination of project results through various channels ensures its wide impact and visibility.

The dynamics of forest vegetation in the avalanche paths from the Southern Carpathians (Romania) Call name: PNCDI IV, P 5.8 - SP 5.8.3 - Proiecte de mobilitate, PM-RO-BE-2024
PN-IV-P8-8.3-PM-RO-BE-2024-0012 2025 - 2025

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI

Project partners: UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI (RO); Catholic University of Louvain, Earth and Life Institute, Center of Earth and Climate (BE)

Affiliation:

Project website:

Abstract:

Snow avalanches are natural hazards that occur in high mountain areas and frequently disrupt forest ecosystems. There is an interdependent relationship between the frequency of snow avalanches and the structure of the forest vegetation. Avalanches determine the shape, size, and spatial distribution of trees in avalanche paths creating specific morphologies of disturbed forests; and the presence or absence of forests can inhibit or favor the manifestation of this phenomenon. A good knowledge of the characteristics of tree and shrub vegetation in avalanche paths is necessary to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of snow avalanches to estimate return periods and geomorphological hazard zoning. The combined use of dendrochronology and remote sensing allows for obtaining the best temporal and spatial resolution of reconstructed snow avalanche activity. Through this project proposal, we want to evaluate the activity of snow avalanches and the dynamics of tree and shrub vegetation in the avalanche corridors of the Southern Carpathians (Romania) based on the analysis of tree growth rings and satellite images. The results aim to identify the spatial and temporal extension of snow avalanches and estimate large-magnitude events, essential parameters for zoning the hazard represented by snow avalanches in the studied area.

enhancINg qualiTy of lifE throuGh uRban heAT island assEssment Call name: P 2 - SP 2.1 - Proiect de transfer la operatorul economic
PN-III-P2-2.1-PTE-2021-0147 2022 - 2024

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INDECO SOFT SRL

Project partners: INDECO SOFT SRL (RO); UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI (RO); CREATIVE SPACE SRL (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website: https://integrate.indecosoft.ro/

Abstract:

The proposal targets the improvement of technical tools for local administrations by integrating heat islands maps (ICU) based on surface temperatures (LST) obtained by satellite imagery processing and used by local administrations through the software systems provided by the coordinator (existing tools, purchased by the authorities prior to the project) ICUS maps will be provided on an anual and seasonal scale, as well as for extreme weather contexts. The proposed tools should prove an usefull technical support mechanism that wiill contribute to the decision-making processes in terms of ICU effects reduction for existing and future urban perimeters. After implementing the project, considering the generl context of climate change, decision makers will have at their disposal a tool that empowers them to plan and design cities so to increase the urban quality of life, according to international găăd practices and policies.

Most of the system components for ICU have been tested in the UBB labs. After reviewing literature, the calculus algorithms have been tested through existing software apps and validated in semiautomated workflows.

The targeted TRL is 4 – development of a prototyping platform for algorithms interconnection and data processing. Testing will be performed on a complex urban system. The infrastructure for testing will be provided by Indeco Soft and Creative Space, corelations will target a major municipality (paying customers of the company) in order for the system to validate technical and procedural requirements and simulate real, functional, operational and commercial implementations.

Redefinirea zonelor de favorabilitate agro-climatica pentru porumb si graul de toamna spre o agricultura inteligenta adaptata la schimbarile climatice in Romania Call name: P 2 - SP 2.1 - Proiect experimental - demonstrativ
PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2019-2310 2020 - 2022

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI

Project partners: UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI (RO); INDECO SOFT SRL (RO); UNIVERSITATEA DE STIINTE AGRICOLE SI MEDICINA VETERINARA CLUJ-NAPOCA (RO)

Affiliation: UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI (RO)

Project website: http://www.agroclim.ro

Abstract:

The main aim of this project is to develop a platform that should provide the suitability areas for maize and winter wheat crops based on agro-climatological and soil conditions in Romania. The platform will integrate the climatological conditions derived from daily temperature and precipitation data at different time scales (year, decades, and 30-yr periods) for a 53-yr historical period and for the next 30 years (2021-2050) at a high spatial resolution of 0.1°/0.1° latitude/longitude (available from ROCADA database) with soil conditions derived from the soil map 1:200000. For the projection data a set of high-resolution bias-corrected EURO-CORDEX regional climate models data for the same spatial resolution will be employed. Different scenarios output of at least 5 different climate model simulations will be considered. This project proposes the best spatial resolution available at the proposal moment both for climatic and soil data for Romania. Specific agro-climatic indices covering the sector-specific needs for Agriculture and Food Security established by the Expert Team for Sector-specific Climate Indices (ET-SCI) will be used. Then, they will be integrated into the online available platform overlaying the soil map. This fine spatial scale is a great advantage for the complex topography of the country since the altitude and consequently the temperature, precipitation and soil change on very short distances. We anticipate that this service will be extremely useful to local farmers, to seeds sellers, and public authorities. Romania will benefit of the best spatial resolution agro-climatological and soil condition suitability maps for maize and winter wheat crops in the European Union and thus, it will be the first member state implementing such a service according to the recommendation of the EU Common Agriculture Policy.

Extreme weather events related to air temperature and precipitation in Romania Call name: Projects for Young Research Teams - RUTE -2014 call
PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-0736 2015 - 2017

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI

Project partners: UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI (RO)

Affiliation: UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI (RO)

Project website: http://fmetpro.granturi.ubbcluj.ro

Abstract:

In the context of the present climate changes, the increase in frequency and duration of the extreme weather events became one of the most important features of present weather condition. This project aims to a complex study of four types of extreme weather events related to air temperature and precipitation in Romania: heat waves, cold waves, wet spells, and dry spells. All of them affect large areas and have important impacts on environment and society. The main objective of the project is an integrative study on characteristics, causes, present and future trends of extreme weather events associated to air temperature and precipitation in Romania. Also, the identification of their potential impact categories on environment and society will be done. The originality of the project consists of three components: a complex statistical analysis of the four types of extreme weather events over the period 1961-2014; climate modeling of the extreme weather phenomena considered until 2100 at regional and local scale by using downscaling techniques based on global and regional climate models; annual and seasonal classification of the synoptic conditions responsible for the occurrence of the extreme weather events considered. The last topic will result in an atlas of extreme weather events related to air temperature and precipitation.

FILE DESCRIPTION	DOCUMENT
List of research grants as project coordinator
List of research grants as partner team leader
List of research grants as project coordinator or partner team leader
Significant R&D projects for enterprises, as project manager
R&D activities in enterprises
Peer-review activity for international programs/projects